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Growing Home - Oshá

Oshá, or “bear root,” is the plant Rocky Mountain legends are made of. Native peoples used it for coughs, colds, and sore throats—long before drugstores existed. Bears are said to seek it out post-hibernation… maybe it helps them to get up and go. Oshá is found in high-elevation forests but is increasingly threatened by overharvesting. Oshá can be confused with poisonous plants to the untrained eye. So, before you dig, know it’s sacred, slow-growing, and vital to preserve—lest we all come down with a case of bad botanical karma.